It's the beginning of June. What's your GOTY?

[ATB]

My gaming time is down dramatically this year and it's feasible for me to see myself exiting the hobby altogether in the next 18 months, but what I've played so far this year has been very good.

Games played this year:

BFBC2 (very short amount of time; on a long break from MP)
ME2
Heavy Rain
RDR
God of War III (only played about 10 minutes)
God of War 2 (doesn't count)
Demon's Souls (doesn't count)


Clearly to me at this point in the year, ME2 is my runaway favorite for GOTY.  Other than the planet scanning, I thought the game was almost perfect.

I've got about 12+ hrs into RDR and while I like the main character and plan on playing it all the way through, it's just not grabbing me very much at all.  The dialogue is excellent as is most of the voice acting, but  from what I've experienced so far there's  not much going on in the game world despite claims to the contrary.  My biggest grip is that combat is vanilla and far too simple. As I've said in the main thread, maybe I'm just not far enough along. But ME2 grabbed me from the beginning. RDR has not.

Heavy Rain was an excellent game, but it hasn't stuck with me very much. I thought the controls were great as was the writing, but the appearance of impact as a result of your actions (in many of the branches anyway) is not actual impact.  There were some amazing moments, but right now it's a distant second to ME2.  There were some amazing emotional tugs, but I didn't find some of the events plausible at all.


GOTY: Mass Effect 2.

[Razgon]

More later, but clearly it is Mass Effect 2 closely followed by Assasins Creed 2

Both games are some of the best times I ever had in playing a game

[Gratch]

Mass Effect 2 in a landslide so far, with Final Fantasy XIII as a distant 2nd.

[Nonnahob]

I hate to sound like a bandwagon junky, but for me it's definitely Mass Effect 2, followed by Assassins Creed II.

I think what sells it for ME2 for me is the fact that (other than planet mining, which was tedious but not game-breaking) the game focused on everything it was good at. They didn't try to stuff more game in and do things outside their scope. From top to bottom, it was a clean and well made game with an awesome story and great mechanics.

[TiLT]

It's been a fantastic year so far, with some real gems. I'm going to have to throw myself at the Mass Effect 2 bandwagon though. That game was just fantastic and still keeps me coming back with the DLC releases.

[spigot]

ME2 for me too.

[denoginizer]

Mass Effect 2.

Followed by Bioshock 2.

Red Dead Redemption has the potential but I haven't played enough yet to say.

[wonderpug]

Ayup. ME2 for me as well. RDR does some amazing things but ME2 is way more solid start to finish.

[Kevin Grey]

Red Dead Redemption for me.  Oddly enough, Deadly Premonition would probably be in second place with God of War 3 just behind it.  I really enjoyed FF13 but I'm still in Chapter 11 so I don't feel comfortable placing it on the list just yet. 

ME2 didn't engage with me for some reason, which is bizarre because the first game was one of my favorites of the generation.  I've got a hankering to give it another try very soon though, especially with all of the DLC they've since released along with the improved mining stuff.  I hope it works better for me.

[kadnod]

Bioshock 2 just edges out ME2 for me.  ME2 was more ambitious, but I thought the writing & atmosphere in Bioshock 2 were more memorable.  

[Gratch]

I forgot Bioshock II was this year (played it late...was thinking it came out last year for some reason).  That one would be neck-and-neck with FF XIII for 2nd place.

[JayDee]

The only two new games I've played this year are Assassin's Creed II and Red Dead Redemption. Nothing else interested me. Of the two I like Red Dead Redemption a bit better, but AssCreed II was very, very good.

[pr0ner]

I hate to sound like a bandwagon junky, but for me it's definitely Mass Effect 2, followed by Assassins Creed II.

I think what sells it for ME2 for me is the fact that (other than planet mining, which was tedious but not game-breaking) the game focused on everything it was good at. They didn't try to stuff more game in and do things outside their scope. From top to bottom, it was a clean and well made game with an awesome story and great mechanics.

Assassin's Creed II is a 2009 game.

[JayDee]

I hate to sound like a bandwagon junky, but for me it's definitely Mass Effect 2, followed by Assassins Creed II.

I think what sells it for ME2 for me is the fact that (other than planet mining, which was tedious but not game-breaking) the game focused on everything it was good at. They didn't try to stuff more game in and do things outside their scope. From top to bottom, it was a clean and well made game with an awesome story and great mechanics.

Assassin's Creed II is a 2009 game.

I didn't play it until Jan 2010, so for me it's a 2010 game.

[Harkonis]

the three for me are SSFIV, UFC:2010 and ME2.  All three were very well done, changed enough about their predecessor to be a vast improvement and are very fun.  SSFIV and UFC:2010 have more longevity and replayability which personally gives them a leg up.  (along with mp)

I guess ME2 might win despite being single player due to the well told story, good options throughout and very nice production values.  The stupid mineral minigame though is what is holding it back for me.

[CeeKay]

right now it's Mass Effect 2 but the field is still wide open.

[semiconscious]

I didn't play it until Jan 2010, so for me it's a 2010 game.

well, then my choice's a 2010 game i played in 2009 : bayonetta (followed by resonance of fate & red dead redemption)...

[Daehawk]

RDR

[CeeKay]

actually change ME2 to Dragon Age, didn't finish it until this year

[leo8877]

God of War 3

[Scraper]

ME2 in first place.

GoW3 right behind it- This game is just too fun for me. I grin from ear to ear at the over the top story and action. Not to mention the visuals.

[metallicorphan]

there have been quite a few good games this year

Bioshock 2 was fantastic,i even loved online

Mass Effect 2 was amazing..it was much better than the first,which was also a great game


i have missed out buying Just Cause 2 and Final Fantasy 13,but i will get round to them someday

Red Dead Redemption i will have to say has been my favourite game up to now

Alan Wake was so-so,could of been done with being more scarier

AvP was an average game also


and i know i will upset a few people,but easily my biggest disappointment of the year was Heavy Rain

and that's about it for all the games i have bought this year i think

[naednek]

RDR,  all the way, atmosphere is perfect, and gameplay is fun.

ME2 atmosphere is neat, minigames brings it down to the low 80's. 

[whiteboyskim]

Red Dead for me, and that's something I would have thought going in considering my loathing for the GTA series. But there's so much to love and to experience in Red Dead that I can get past the fact that it is massively overwritten with a crap sense of pacing. I also would have to lump in AssCred II (again, something that astounds me) but the ending was so horrifically stupid I just can' get past it. Even looking past the sci fi stupidity, everything with Ezio was pure unadulterated win save the landing.

[Caine]

it's a tough call between me2 and rdr.  both did what they did amazingly well and both looked and played pretty much perfect.  me2 had a better plot, but rdr has had a better mix of missions to go along with it.  me2 had better set piece battles (barring the end boss) but just barely. 

actual gameplay was better in rdr though, especially in light of everything culled from me1. 

i only dabbled a little with bioshock 2, but all of the nods here mean it will be next on my list. 

heavy rain lost me once it decided to kill off one of the main characters by not responding to controls.   no matter how much i tried, i could never get a different ending and just turned it off.  i can accept losing a character to my mistake, but not due to the game saying 'press left' and then not doing anything once i did. 

[Purge]

I loved AC2, RDR, DarkSiders, and Just Cause 2.

[Dante Rising]

My game of the year would be Nier. It does many things wrong, but the storyline, companions, magic implementation, and boss battles struck home with me in a way no other game has this year. A father trying to save his daughter in a destroyed world was a nice change of pace from the standard emo or amnesia-burdened child going out on a quest to save the world from infinite evil.

[kathode]

RDR

[WalkingFumble]

Assassin's Creed 2 released in November of 09.  

And really, who cares what the game of the year is?  It's about your personal favorite right?  So far, I've had the most fun playing Bioshock 2 and Red Dead Revolver.

[godhugh]

As I've been thinking about it, I've flipped back and forth between ME2 and Bioshock 2 a dozen times. So, it's one of those depending on what time of day you ask me.

[coopasonic]

uhh... Risen or Two Worlds? Eversince switching to goozex I don't to play a lot of games at the same time as the rest of you.

I think MW2 and FFXIII are the only games I've played that were released this year. Of the two, ME2 is my clear favorite, but given my short list of eligible titles I don't think my vote counts. I'll probably be ridden out on a rail when I say I think I may even like Two Worlds better.

[jblank]

So far it's RDR.

Runner Up: Heavy Rain.

[jersoc]

between Resonance of Fate and Nier.

[Purge]

I'm surprised that there's no love for SMG2.

[Kevin Grey]

I'm surprised that there's no love for SMG2.

In my case it's because while I own it (couldn't pass up $30 on Amazon), I haven't played it yet.

[Teggy]

Mass Effect 2. RDR is a strong candidate but not as good overall. I have yet to play SMG2, Bioshock 2, Heavy Rain or GoW2, all of which I intend to play before the year is up.

[jztemple2]

Alpha Protocol... better missions than RDR, cooler guns than ME2.

[EngineNo9]

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - I played over 40 hours of the beta on this one and have something over 95 hours logged on the full game. 

Runners up:
Just Cause 2
Blur

[WinoMcCougarstein]

Hmmm,

I LOVED God of War 3, I haven't played SMG2 yet so right now it would have to be RDR.

[Eel Snave]

SMG2.